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HONIARA, Solomon Islands (Solomon Star, Jan. 4, 2010) - Two strong earthquakes hit near Gizo in the Western Province this morning, triggering a small local tsunami with some reports of damage, police said.

The magnitude 7.2 and 6.5 quakes struck close together around 9:48 p.m. EST and occurred around 55 miles south-southeast of Gizo, the U.S. Geological Survey and Pacific Tsunami Warning Centers said.

Gizo police constable Macarthur said, that there are no major damages reported so far.

"There are no reports of casualties however, we have unconfirmed reports of property damage caused by possible tsunami waves on Tetepare island."

The quakes occurred at depths of between 33 km (20.5 miles) and 36 km.

"Sea level readings indicate a tsunami was generated," said the Hawaii-based tsunami center in an emailed bulletin. "It may have been destructive along coasts near the earthquake epicenter...

HAGÃ TÃA, Guam (Pacific Daily News, Jan. 5, 2010) - The U.S. Air Force is scheduled to deploy 15 F-22A Raptors to Andersen Air Force Base in Guam this month, according to a press release from the U.S. Air Force.

The F-22A is a transformational combat aircraft that can avoid enemy detection, the release stated. It cruises at supersonic speeds, is highly maneuverable and provides the joint force an unprecedented level of integrated situational awareness, according to the release.

The fighters and associated personnel will deploy on Jan. 29 from Alaska. The deployment supports the U.S. Pacific Command's theater security packages in the Western Pacific, according to the release.

As part of continuing force posture adjustments to address worldwide requirements, the United States continues to deploy additional forces throughout the Western Pacific.

By Royson Willie PORT VILA, Vanuatu (Vanuatu Daily Post, Jan. 1, 2009) - What a way to celebrate Christmas...Evicted families from Erangorango near Agriculture station, have no where else to settle.

Over 50 family members of the Berry family from Tongoa living at Erangorango just behind the Bauerfield Airport have received the wrath of the law at full force in the middle of the festive season of Christmas and New Year.

On Tuesday 29 December the police acted on an execution warrant to evict the Berry family, which include men, women, children and their live animals, from their home.

All houses and plants planted by members of the Berry family were destroyed either with a sledge hammer, a chainsaw or bush knife.

Thatched house made out of natangura were pushed over and burned to the ground.

The order, to evict the people living in the 10 houses that were destroyed, was taken by the customary owner...

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (RNZI, Jan 4, 2009) - An office has been opened in the Marshall Islands for an organisation to help oversee part of the region’s fisheries.

The Parties to the Nauru Agreement office in Majuro was established on January the 1st and is to have as its Interim Director Transform Aqorau, who has been working for the parent body, the Forum Fisheries Agency.

He says the Office represents a major milestone in regional fisheries co-operative action especially given the importance of the PNA region to the tuna fisheries.

Most of the tuna caught in the region is taken in the waters of the PNA countries, which include the Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Tuvalu.

Dr. Aqorau says these countries want to take greater control of the region’s tuna fisheries by ensuring that they are managed effectively, and also...

PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea (The National, Jan. 4, 2010) – In Papua New Guinea, the people of Labu-Buttu village near Lae have called on the Government to order an environmental impact study into the effects of the Hidden Valley gold mine on their lives.

[PIR editor’s note: The community of Labu-Buttu village is in Huon district, Morobe province. Morobe Province is a province on the northern coast of Papua New Guinea. The provincial capital, and largest city, is Lae. The province covers 34,500 square kilometers with a population of approximately 540,000. The province has nine administrative districts and 171 languages.]

At a New Year’s Day meeting, they expressed concern that their lives were seriously threatened by the mine and nothing was done by the national and Morobe provincial governments.

The villagers reported at the meeting that prawns, eels and cat fish, which used to be...

By James Apa Gumuno PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea (The National, Jan. 4, 2010) – In Papua New Guinea, the MOGE Milemp clansmen went on a rampage by burning down houses, trade stores, slaughtering pigs, destroying crops and other properties belonging to the Moge Pagamb clansmen in New Town on Saturday.

The mayhem is believed to be related to a brawl in a lodge in Mt Hagen, Western Highlands, last Thursday.

Several houses and trade stores were razed but the extent of the damages could not be confirmed immediately.

The Milemp clansmen allegedly armed with high-powered guns, opened fire in Pagamb’s territory at about 4pm.

The quarrel started in a lodge when some drunkard Moge tribe members fought among themselves.

Since the fight was between Moge tribesmen, Pagamb Councilor Jacob Yak told both parties gathered in New Town on Saturday morning that they should resolve the problem peacefully...

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (RNZI, Jan. 3, 2009) - There may be a challenge to a new New Caledonian law aimed at protecting the job market for locals.

The law, which is seen as a compromise, was approved by the territory’s Congress last week, but the pro-independence FLNKS movement says the provisions are not in the spirit of the decolonization as enshrined in the 1998 Nouméa Accord.

The FLNKS is yet to decide whether it will force a fresh vote in the weeks to come as is possible under provisions in the organic law

It argues that young people are being sidelined by qualified migrants from mainland France which it says goes against the 1980 UN resolution that discourages migration into colonies on track to independence.

Employers point out that young locals tend to seek jobs in the public service which has led to a situation in the private sector where now nine out of ten employees have been born outside New...

By Junhan B. Todeno SAIPAN, CNMI (Marianas Variety, Jan. 5, 2010) – In the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Northern Marianas College (NMC) President Carmen Fernandez yesterday confirmed that NMC hired a consulting group to assist in the preparation of the midterm report to the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.

However, she added, the report was also "substantially developed and written by the college’s management team in [conjunction] with faculty, staff, and students."

Faculty Senate President Larry Lee told the NMC regents that the midterm report contained "false statements" and, further, was prepared by a consultant.

Fernandez said from Aug. 19 to 21, the consulting group met with employees from different NMC programs to gather and compile input for the report.

To ensure participation from various segments of the college community, input was also sought from...

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (RNZI, Jan. 4, 2010) - Officials in Solomon Islands say there were no casualties but a lot of damage from the 7-point-2 magnitude earthquake that rocked the western part of the island group yesterday.

The epicentre was near the islands of Tetepare and Rendova, 300 kilometres north-west of Honiara.

Julian Makaa, from the country’s Disaster Management Office, says about 500 houses have been damaged or destroyed, and many people have been displaced.

"At the moment they would be absorbed by other villagers maybe because there hasn’t been any help that has got to them. Going by the numbers, we are probably talking of between 300 to 500 people being affected."

Pacific Islands Report is a nonprofit news publication of the Pacific Islands Development Program at the East-West Center in Honolulu, Hawai‘i. Offered as a free service to readers, PIR provides an edited digest of news, commentary and analysis from across the Pacific Islands region, Monday - Friday.